


春の愛

by tsukist



Category: Naruto
Genre: Boys In Love, Boy’s Love, Fireworks, Hanami, Late at Night, Literary Challenge, M/M, POV Third Person, Post-Naruto Time Skip | Naruto Shippuden, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Short & Sweet, Shyness, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 07:42:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13736295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsukist/pseuds/tsukist
Summary: Haru no Ai - Spring LoveIt’s the night of hanami, and Naruto and Sasuke find a private spot from which they can watch the fireworks together.





	春の愛

Everything was a peaceful quiet, but for the distant hum of the festival and the chirp of crickets; even the slow shuffle of their bare feet along the grassy shore of the lake hardly made a sound. The sky had long since darkened, leaving them beneath a blanket of cool, refreshing air and pale moonlight.

From the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Sasuke’s arm raise to the sky, drawing his attention. He followed his outstretched hand to a low-hanging cherry blossom branch—he had been busy daydreaming and hadn’t even noticed the tree standing proudly in their path, petals scattered at its trunk, the pale pink blossoms appearing almost white in the low light. It seemed to be basking in the festivities that centred around it, as if it was conscious of its own silent beauty and how it drew people in for just one special day of the year.

He watched, mesmerized, as Sasuke’s height allowed him to pick off one of the smaller sticks, which, despite its size, was still covered in the delicate little flowers. To Naruto, Sasuke looked ethereal, standing there in his soft grey yukata, holding the delicate cherry blossom branch in his large hands, his hair wild and his chiseled features as stern as ever. When Sasuke turned to him and held it out for him to take, Naruto’s heart became tipsy in his chest.

“Here,” Sasuke mumbled in his harsh voice. His pale cheeks were dusted a soft pink that reminded Naruto of the cherry blossoms.

Feeling a smile form on his lips, Naruto took the small branch from him and marvelled at its simple beauty for a moment before he tucked it into the bright orange obi of his yukata. Sasuke stared out at the lake and the petals that blanketed it, too embarrassed of his own actions to think of an excuse for them. His arm had moved of its own will, as if his heart controlled it rather than his mind—but seeing how Naruto’s eyes lit up made it worthwhile.

“The fireworks are gonna start soon,” Naruto said suddenly, gently tugging on the other’s sleeve.

Without an exchange of words, Naruto took Sasuke’s hand in his and led him across the expanse of grass to the long wooden dock, which softly groaned beneath their teen weight. They quietly gazed at the water, remembering a simpler time of practicing ninjutsu and skipping stones. Nostalgia lingered in the air for just a moment before they sat down next to each other on the far edge, their toes beneath the surface of the still water, although their feet had once dangled above it.

In the silence that fell over the pair, Naruto had time to think to himself. He had never imagined himself there, with Sasuke—at least, not on hanami. Then again, it was an important celebration that was meant to be spent with others, and Naruto had always had a passion for festivals; he enjoyed the crowds and the games, and especially the food, but Sasuke, who he had dragged along, was a homebody. They were complete opposites, but that was simply one of the many things that drew them to each other.

Naruto glanced over to Sasuke. He was staring at his feet as they made slow circles in the water, sending ripples across the otherwise still surface. Naruto was not nearly as patient as Sasuke, but he did his best to refrain from complaining or asking questions. He closed his eyes and crossed his legs, silently willing himself to be patient, and made a motion to take the branch from the folds of his obi when he felt a warm rush of air against his lips.

“Sasuke?”

The sound of the first firework ripped through the still air in the distance. It was loud enough to startle them both, providing Sasuke with enough time to pull away. Naruto opened his eyes and excitedly scanned the dark sky, just catching a glimpse of the fading sparks of colour that outshone the stars. Another firework went off, then another, and another, prompting Sasuke to watch too, although he wasn't interested in the show. A laugh escaped Naruto at each burst of fireworks; he was entranced by the different colours and sizes, and the way in which they reflected off of the surface of the lake. The sound of laughing, excited yells, and screams carried from the main streets and across the water, but nothing could distract Naruto from the sight before him—until he caught Sasuke staring at him.

“The fireworks are over there, you know,” Naruto joked, pointing to the sky that was alight with colour. “We came all the way out here just to get a good spot.”

“Fireworks are for kids,” Sasuke replied. Then, seeing Naruto’s cheeks flush with embarrassment, he added, “and idiots.”

Naruto chuckled at the half hearted insult and Sasuke smiled, leaning back onto his elbows to watch Naruto watch the fireworks. It wasn't long before the last burst of sparks lit up the night sky and faded away, leaving the village enveloped in a bustling quiet that was indescribable, but that only ever occurred once excitement and anticipation had been satisfied. The entirety of the village had held its breath for hanami, and now it was over.

“Sasuke,” Naruto said, turning to his companion, whose dark eyes watched the smoky patch of night sky where the fireworks had burst into millions of tiny sparks of colour. After a moment, Sasuke sat up and shifted his attention to Naruto, and waited for him to continue. “Before the fireworks started…” Naruto suddenly felt hesitant, but he needed to ask, “were you going to-”

“Shut up,” Sasuke was quick to interrupt, looking away from the other boy as his face became warm and his chest tightened with emotion. He could not stand to hear Naruto say it. “If you didn’t want me to, then you should have said something.”

For a moment, Naruto was taken aback by Sasuke’s embarrassment, but all too soon his face lit up in a warm smile. He laughed and slipped his arm around Sasuke’s hunched shoulders. Clutching the small branch in his hand, he made a mental note to keep it on display in his apartment where guests would be sure to see it. 

“You’ve never kissed me on hanami,” he said in a quiet voice with a smirk, as though it was their little secret. “There are only so many of them in a lifetime, you know.”

At the sound of his words, Sasuke slowly turned to Naruto. His feelings of frustration and embarrassment began to fade as he saw how Naruto watched him so carefully, as though he was seeing Sasuke for the first time and was slowly falling in love with him all over again; the same way in which he had looked at Sasuke when he gave him the blossoms, as though something so small and insignificant embodied all of his love.

“So,” Naruto said, becoming impatient because Sasuke was daydreaming and had not yet taken the hint, “are you going to kiss me or not?”

”You really are an idiot.”

”What does that have to do with kissing me?”

A small smile fell upon Sasuke’s lips. He had always found Naruto’s lack of self-awareness particularly baffling, but there was something almost poetic about his need to love and be loved in return that Sasuke could never resist.

Sasuke leaned closer to Naruto as the breeze began to pick up off of the water, as though he was being guided to the other by a gentle, encouraging push. Behind the pair, the branches of the cherry blossom tree gently swayed in the breeze. In its beautiful way, the tree released clusters of delicate pink petals that fell to the ground at its feet and were blown out to the smooth surface of the lake. Feeling the naive passion of the young men, the blossoms became bashful and painted themselves a lovely blush.


End file.
